Local

Police seek witnesses in attack on gay couple

Michael Hall Jr., 29, a D.C. yoga instructor, was hospitalized for a broken cheekbone and fractured jaw from injuries suffered in the attack

Published

13 years ago

August 3, 2012

Lou Chibbaro Jr.

D.C. police have issued an appeal for witnesses to a July 22 incident in which three unidentified males assaulted a gay male couple at 3rd and U streets, N.E. in the city’s Eckington neighborhood.

“Preliminary investigation has revealed that there were witnesses to the assault,” according to a police statement.

Michael Hall Jr., 29, a D.C. yoga instructor, was hospitalized for a broken cheekbone and fractured jaw from injuries suffered in the attack, which police say occurred around midnight. Police listed the incident as an anti-gay hate crime.

Hall’s partner, Michael Roike, told the Blade the three assailants attacked him and Hall minutes after the two got out of a car they hired to drive them home from a night out at two restaurants on Capitol Hill.

Roike said Hall underwent surgery at Howard University Hospital to treat severe face and jaw injuries he sustained from the attackers, whom he said punched Hall in the face, knocking him to the ground. He said he’s uncertain what provoked the assault.

Police spokesperson Gwendolyn Crump told the Blade in an email that the three attackers “appeared from an unknown direction and began to yell homophobic slurs” at Roike and Hall. The only information about the suspects released by police so far describes them as “three black males wearing dark clothing.”

Roike said they appeared to be in their late teens but said he and Hall were unable to provide more information about their appearance.

Police said they are urging anyone who witnessed the incident or anyone who has information about it to contact police at 202-727-9099. Friends of Roike and Hall created a Facebook page called “Friends of Michael Joel Hall and Michael Roike” to help the two raise money to cover some of Hall’s medical expenses. Friends said Hall doesn’t have medical insurance.

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Virginia

VIDEO: LGBTQ groups march in Va. inaugural parade

Abigail Spanberger took office on Saturday

Published

3 hours ago

January 17, 2026

Michael Key

Diversity Richmond and the Virginia Pride project of Diversity Richmond march in the 2026 Inauguration Parade on the grounds of the state capitol in Richmond, Va. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

The inaugural ceremonies for Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger were held in Richmond, Va. on Saturday. Among the groups marching in the parade were Diversity Richmond and the Virginia Pride project of Diversity Richmond.

View on Threads

*The LGBTQ contingent in the inaugural parade in Richmond, Va. pass by the review stand on Jan. 17, 2026. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)*

Virginia

Va. Senate approves referendum to repeal marriage amendment

Outgoing state Sen. Adam Ebbin introduced SJ3

Published

11 hours ago

January 17, 2026

Staff reports

(Bigstock photo)

The Virginia Senate on Friday by a 26-13 vote margin approved a resolution that seeks to repeal a state constitutional amendment that defines marriage as between a man and a woman.

Outgoing state Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria) introduced SJ3. The Senate Privileges and Elections Committee on Wednesday approved it by a 10-4 vote margin.

Same-sex couples have been able to legally marry in Virginia since 2014. Outgoing Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin in 2024 signed a bill that codified marriage equality in state law.

A resolution that seeks to repeal the Marshall-Newman Amendment passed in the General Assembly in 2021. The resolution passed again in 2025.

Two successive legislatures must approve the resolution before it can go to the ballot. Democrats in the Virginia House of Delegates have said the resolution’s passage is among their 2026 legislative priorities.

“It’s time for Virginia’s Constitution to reflect the law of the land and the values of today,” said Ebbin after Friday’s vote. “This amendment, if approved by voters, would affirm the dignity of all committed couples and protects marriage equality for future generations.”

Maryland

Layoffs and confusion at Pride Center of Maryland after federal grants cut, reinstated

Trump administration move panicked addiction and mental health programs

Published

1 day ago

January 16, 2026

Baltimore Banner

Merrick Moses, a violence prevention coordinator, works at the Pride Center of Maryland in Baltimore. (Photo by Ulysses Muñoz for the Baltimore Banner)

By ALISSA ZHU | After learning it had abruptly lost $2 million in federal funding, the Pride Center of Maryland moved to lay off a dozen employees, or about a third of its workforce, the Baltimore nonprofit’s leader said Thursday.

The group is one of thousands nationwide that reportedly received letters late Tuesday from the Trump administration. Their mental health and addiction grants had been terminated, effective immediately, the letters said.

By Wednesday night, federal officials moved to reverse the funding cuts by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, estimated to total $2 billion, according to national media reports. But the Pride Center of Maryland’s CEO Cleo Manago said as of Thursday morning he had not heard anything from the federal government confirming those reports.

The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.